From College to Career: How to Get Hired After Graduation

Every year, thousands of people finish college and enter the job market. 

The graduates who get hired quickly into careers they’ve been wishing for are the ones who have a new qualification plus hands-on training and job search skills. 

84% of Sundance College graduates are hired within 6 months of graduation. That’s because they’ve been preparing to enter the workforce from the day they started their training, through a career-focused program, a real-world practicum, and ongoing career coaching at every stage of their studies. 

Here are the steps you need to follow to get hired after college:

Listen to: From College to Career: How to Get Hired After Graduation

Step 1 – Assess Your Strengths

Before you send out your resume to employers, identify what you do best that connects directly to your new career. 

Look back at everything you’ve done so far – practicum projects, coursework, part-time jobs, volunteer roles, and look for patterns in how you’ve made an impact on businesses.  

“Sundance College’s Career Services team sits down with students to review their transferrable skills and strengths. These are the things hiring managers are looking for on resumes.” – Tim H. Assistant Education Manager at Sundance College 

Think about moments where you’ve improved accuracy, supported clients or customers, solved problems, built systems, led teams, or helped staff work more efficiently – write them down. 

Our Career Services team will discuss your career goals with you to make sure the strengths you’re highlighting line up with the field you want to enter. This will give you a focused shortlist of strengths you can build the rest of your resume around. 

Step 2 – Find Employers who are Hiring

Once you know what you’re good at, aim for those strengths where demand is highest. 

The Career Services team will help you to find which employers are looking for people with your training, and where opportunities are opening up in the career you’re working towards. 

You can use that insight to focus your time and energy on the places most ready to hire, instead of scattering applications and hoping something lands in the lap of the right employer. 

Step 3 – Write a Resume and Cover Letter Template

Your resume and cover letter are often the first impression you make, so they need to show why you’re the right fit fast. 

Career Services will work one-on-one with you to review your current resume and turn it into a base version that puts your strongest skills and experience front and centre. Then, they’ll show you how to tailor it for each posting so that you highlight the abilities in your wheelhouse that match the ones in the job description. 

They’ll also work with you to draft a flexible cover letter template you can adapt for each role, summarizing results you’ve delivered and how they connect to what the employer is looking for.

Step 4 – Update Your Online Profiles

Getting hired isn’t only about applying. It’s also about being noticed by the right people at the right time. 

By the time you graduate from Sundance College, you’ll already have a network that includes industry-experienced instructors and classmates who are starting their own careers in the same field. 

Career Services will help you build on that by reviewing and strengthening your online profiles on job portals like Indeed and networking platforms like LinkedIn. They’ll help you to position your skills, training, and experience so that they stand out to the right people. 

A strong online presence keeps you visible to employers and makes it easier for your growing professional network to open doors as you launch your career.

Step 5 – Be Strategic When Applying for Roles

When it’s time to apply for jobs, the goal isn’t to send out as many resumes as possible – it’s to make each one stand out. 

That’s where Career Services comes in, giving you the strategies and tools to make sure your applications are focused, timely, and competitive: 

“Our team provides job search strategies, introduces new techniques, and shares current hiring trends so graduates can submit applications that get noticed and move them forward in the hiring process.” – Tim H. 

Being strategic means taking the time to align each application with the job description: tailoring your resume and cover letter to the posting, making sure your online presence reflects the same strengths, and applying through channels where employers are most actively hiring. 

This step in the process is when you pull together everything you did before: you know your strengths, you’ve focused on employers that are hiring, your documents and profiles are ready. 

Why Sundance College’s Career Services Make a Difference

At Sundance College, career support starts the day you begin your program and stays with you for life. 

That means: 

• Career coaching is built into your program: You’ll take a Career Management course during your studies, so job search prep is built in. 
• One-on-one sessions: Our Career Services team works directly with you to identify your strengths and career goals, refine your resume, and practice interviews. 
• Real-world insights: Our team tracks hiring trends across the country and flags the strategies that actually move applications forward in the hiring process. 
• Lifetime access: If your career goals change down the line, you can book a session and get tailored support again. 

This level of support is a big part of why 84% of Sundance College graduates are working in their field within six months of graduation. 

It’s not about luck – it’s about being coached every step of the way by people whose entire job is to get you hired. 

If that’s the kind of support you want behind you, the next step is choosing the program that matches the career you’re aiming for. 

FAQs

• How do I start my career with no experience?

  Start by getting career-focused training that gives you the technical skills employers are hiring for and a practicum placement that counts as industry experience on your resume. Then, work with a career advisor to build a resume and cover letter tailored to each role, update your online profiles so your skills are visible, and apply strategically instead of scattering applications.

  At Sundance College, those steps are built into every program – from day one, our Career Services team coaches you through resumes, interviews, networking, and practicum opportunities, so you graduate with both training and experience.

• How can I avoid job scams as a new graduate?

  Scams often target people entering the job market, so knowing what to watch for is imperative. Red flags include:

  • Employers asking for money or personal banking info up front
  • Vague job postings with no company details
  • Interviews that happen only over text or email with no phone or video call
  • Promises of unusually high pay for very little work

  The safest approach is to apply through trusted job boards, company websites, or referrals from your network.

  At Sundance College, our Career Services team guides students towards legitimate job postings and provides advice if an opportunity looks suspicious. That support helps you focus on real opportunities while steering clear of scams.

• How can I negotiate my first salary?

  Go into salary conversations prepared:

  • Research pay ranges in your field and region using job boards and labour market data.
  • Highlight specific value – practicum experience, technical training, or results you delivered during school projects.
  • Wait until you have an offer before discussing salary. Employers are more open once they’ve decided they want you.
  • Frame it professionally – instead of demanding, explain how your skills match the role and reference market averages.

  At Sundance College, our Career Services team coaches you on how to approach salary talks confidently and professionally.

• Are remote or hybrid roles good for new graduates?

  They can be, if you know what you want to gain from your role. Remote and hybrid jobs often give flexibility and save commuting costs. In-person roles often provide more chances for on-the-spot learning, mentoring, and building workplace relationships.

  The key is to chat with Sundance College’s Career Services team and evaluate which kind of work supports your career goals.

• How long should I expect my job search to take?

  Timelines vary by field and location, but a focused job search usually takes a few months. Nationally, it’s common to spend 3-6 months applying and interviewing before landing a new role.

  The process moves faster when you:

  • Apply with tailored resumes and cover letters instead of generic ones.
  • Use your practicum experience and technical skills to strengthen applications.
  • Leverage networking and job boards simultaneously.

  At Sundance College, 84% of new graduates are hired in their field within 6 months of finishing their program – because our career coaching starts from the day you start.

• What industries are currently in demand?

  Across the country, employers continue to hire in fields like:

  • Healthcare
  • Business and administration
  • Law
  • Technology
  • Community and human services

  Sundance College’s career-focused diploma programs are designed around industries actively hiring skilled professionals.